Onam Tourism Week to conclude with grand pageantry in Thiruvananthapuram

The week-long Onam Tourism Week Celebrations in Kerala will conclude with a grand pageantry in Thiruvananthapuram. The procession will be flagged off by Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and will feature 69 floats and 99 art forms.

After showcasing the rhythm and elegance of Kerala's classical, folk and ethnic art traditions before a larger audience, including tourists, the Onam Tourism Week Celebrations are all set to conclude on Sunday with the iconic closing-day pageantry. Vice President CP Radhakrishnan will flag off the procession at 5 pm from Lok Bhavan, a press release stated. Kerala Governor Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Tourism Minister PC Vishnunadh, Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Devaswoms, K Muraleedharan and Minister for Transport CP John will also attend the ceremony.

Grand Closing Pageantry

The procession will pass through Vellayambalam, Museum, Palayam and Statue before concluding at East Fort.

The procession will feature around 69 floats and installations by various government departments that showcase Kerala's growth as a society, its traditions and culture, and socially relevant issues. Around 99 art forms rooted in different cultural identities will also be part of the procession. Pulikali, Garuda Parave, and Muthappan Theyyam will be featured in the procession as part of Kerala's traditional art forms.

Art performances from Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Telangana will add colour and flair to the grand pageantry.

Performances from the transgender community are also part of the procession.

Meanwhile, there will be traffic restrictions in the city on Sunday due to the procession.

Statewide Festival Highlights

The festival, organised by the State Tourism Department, has enliven multiple venues across the state, besides the state capital.

More than 3,000 artists participated in the event held across 35 venues in the Thiruvananthapuram district, including the prime venues Kanakakkunnu and Central Stadium in the city.

The festival was packed with riveting programmes, providing opportunities to hundreds of artists representing an amazing range of genres.

Around 14 major media organisations associated with the government conducted programmes at Nishagandhi, Central Stadium and Poojappura during the week-long festival.

Kerala's traditional ritual art forms, including Padayani, Theyyam, Mudiyettu, shadow puppetry, Arjuna Nritham, Thira, etc were performed in Nishagandhi during the festival week.

About 100 venues were set up in various districts where around 170 programmes were performed.

More than 8000 artists were part of the programmes across the state.

This time, more venues were added to the festival, including the international beach tourism hub of Kovalam in the state capital.

Food stalls were set up at festival venues across the state, bringing the flavours of different regions to tourists and home crowds alike.

Besides, an array of unique products bearing the imprint of Kerala's tradition and culture were on display at the Onam trade fair and exhibition at Kanakakkunnu Palace.

Platform for Social Campaigns

The event was also leveraged as a platform to raise awareness of the government's flagship schemes and campaigns, including 'Operation Toofan' to crack down on the drug menace.

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